I’d never call Porta Bella a classic Italian restaurant. At its core it’s Americanized Italian but it does not fall into the noodles and ketchup category by any stretch. The appetizer menu bares these facts out. On one visit we sampled both the stuffed mushrooms and the toasted ravioli. The mushrooms were undercooked but the stuffing of meat and cheese was delicious. The ravioli stole the show that night as the garlic and spinach filling mixed perfectly with the cheese inside. They were so lightly fried that one almost felt guilt free as they dipped them in the warm marinara sauce. I always think it’s a good sign when a restaurant heats their dipping sauce. On a second visit the appetizer round was less successful as an antipasto platter failed to meet expectations. While the marinated vegetables and crostini were good the salami and provolone looked store bought and tasted likewise. Salads are decent especially the caeser. While I’m not much for the creamy caeser dressing Porta Bella’s does maintain the perfect mix of garlic and oil. Their porta salad with meats and cheeses is slightly less successful depending on which dressing you choose.
When it comes to entrées the kitchen performs at a higher consistency although the interpretations again are questioned. My first visit meal was the three meat cannelloni, a house made pasta filled with chicken, beef and Italian sausage. It’s an odd combination of fillings but it works and the pasta was cooked perfectly and any chance to have their Italian sausage should be taken. Perhaps odder then the meat combo is the fact you can choose to have the meal baked in marinara sauce, cheese sauce or half and half. I tried both and found them to be as good as I remember. The marinara has a slight sweetness and a body to it that stands up to the pasta. The cheese sauce is essentially a béchamel loaded with Parmesan and mozz. I recommend the half and half though as the cheese sauce while tasty is far too rich and heavy on its own. Another stand out was the spedini and stuffed shrimp. While my companion and I found their interpretation of spedini a bit odd (gooey cheese filling) the meat was done nicely and the flavor was spot on. I found the stuffed shrimp a bit bland but it pleased my partner. On another visit I tried their porta bella mushroom tetrazzini and found it to have good flavor although once again a bit unconventional as it was served over tri color rotini. The dish has a nice kick though and was overall a winner. Unfortunately the same cannot be said of the chicken and mushrooms with goat cheese ravioli. The chicken was tough and the tomato sauce contrasted to starkly with the creamy cheese filled pockets.
Deserts were hit and miss and again featured some odd twists. The tiramisu was quite light which was a welcome surprise however the Hershey’s chocolate sauce squirted on top was not. The cannoli was almost certainly of the frozen variety and skipped the normal citron for chocolate chips and that same watery chocolate sauce.
Of course the real star of Porta Bella is the space itself. From its ivy covered gates to its cozy wine cellar there’s not a bad seat in the house. There may be no better place for a couple to sit and exchange starry-eyed glances then their oversized wood booths.
Since it’s located in the heart of campus expect some inexperienced servers. On one visit we had a quiet talker that made the whole experience comical. On another, we had the disappearing server, which was less comical and more annoying. Still the kitchen staff should be commended for excellent pacing of the meals.
Porta Bella, 425 N. Frances Street, Madison, WI 608-256-3186
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